Exterior Home Improvement

Topics

A chimney can be an exposed pipe, a framed enclosure that is covered with siding (called a sided chase) that houses the flue pipe, or a masonry chimney. The chimney travels from the inside of the home[more…]

You probably let your vehicle rest in a garage, carport, or driveway when you’re not driving it. Depending upon the mechanical condition of your vehicle, oil and grease spots soon begin to decorate the[more…]

Although leveling and resetting a brick patio is slow, heavy work, it’s not a complex project — just one that takes time and effort to do right. If you are ready to break a sweat, gather your tools and[more…]

Few home-maintenance projects are easier than sealing an asphalt driveway. Mostly you need a strong back to maneuver the big, heavy buckets of sealer. When you’ve gathered everything you need, follow these[more…]

If you have a brick home, you probably have some problem spots in your masonry, such as mold growth or oil and paint stains. If these unsightly areas bother you, you can clean them. The most common masonry-cleaning[more…]

One of the best ways to protect your outdoor wood surfaces is to use a high-quality, oil-based wood preservative. Using an oil-based wood preservative with ultraviolet inhibitors keeps your deck surfaces[more…]

A painted deck or fence can be beautiful, but painting can also be a real problem. Unlike wood siding, wood in decks, handrails, fences, retaining walls, and other complex structures expose several surfaces[more…]

A sagging wooden gate is a nuisance at best, and can, at some point, become impossible to open. The problem must be pretty common, because someone has already packaged and marketed a repair kit for exactly[more…]

You can't just hook the sprayer up to the paint and start painting. Painting with a sprayer takes a little practice. Try perfecting your technique on cardboard. After you're sure you can provide nice even[more…]

Before you paint your woodwork, you need to prepare it. If the wood is chipped, gouged, or otherwise damaged, and you plan to paint, you can make an easy, invisible repair by using a two-part polyester[more…]

You can remove a piece of aluminum siding and patch in a new one when it’s so badly damaged that it’s beyond repair. You need your utility knife, a piece of aluminum siding, a household cleaner, and a[more…]

Wood siding shrinks in cold weather and expands in the summer. This can cause it to crack and split. You can fix damaged boards or replace them. If you have to replace 3- or 12-inch-wide clapboard, you[more…]

When asphalt shingles are loose or missing, you can easily replace and refasten them. And as long as you’re on the roof, inspect the others close up, as well as the flashing, to find out whether any shingles[more…]

Peeling paint at the base of a porch column or deck post often indicates that the base has been and still is wet. You can find out how bad the problem is by peeling back a little more of the paint — you[more…]

Damaged posts eventually cause decks to sag and perhaps even collapse if the load on top of them is heavy. Fence posts lean and wobble, undermining the stability of the whole fence. You can replace them[more…]

If you have a rotten or damaged post supporting your porch or deck, it needs to be replaced. The first step is to remove the old post. Once that is done, you can set a new post in concrete to ensure that[more…]

Damaged fence posts lean and wobble, undermining the stability of your entire fence. You may not have to replace a damaged post if you can stabilize it with a concrete girdle. You need a claw hammer, tapered[more…]

A post doesn’t have to be damaged to wiggle from side-to-side or lean in one direction. If it’s not damaged by rot, the fence was improperly put in or the post worked its way loose during winter freezes[more…]

Foundations are rigid and tend to crack over time. Minor cracks, though unsightly, are not normally cause for alarm. Major cracks, on the other hand, indicate substantial movement and can undermine the[more…]

Using basic interior design strategies, you can make your porch and patio into a second living room. To maintain continuity with the interior, use the same style, especially if a porch or patio is visible[more…]

One way to bring natural light into a dark room is to install a tubular skylight. Installing a tubular skylight involves working on the roof, cutting an opening and weather-sealing around the dome, cutting[more…]

Cleaning concrete is easy and inexpensive. If you know how to clean concrete, you can restore an unsightly driveway in no time. Cars don’t have to be very old before they start leaving oil and grease stains[more…]

Sealing concrete will reduce the porosity so that it won’t absorb as much oil. If you know how to seal concrete, the oil will sit on type of your concrete, giving you time to apply a commercial product[more…]

Filling small cracks in concrete keeps them from turning into big holes. If you know how to fill small cracks in concrete, you’ll restore your concrete to a smooth finish. This technique will work for[more…]